My ‘Involuntary’ Healthy Resolutions for 2008

I am not a fitness freak and I have never been one to watch what I eat and how much I eat. Well, most foods anyway, except those that I have never eaten in my whole life. That been said, I would like to mention that I am not an adventurous eater.

I mean I am not that brave to eat exotic foods and delicacies (i.e meats of monitor lizard, snakes, etc., definitely no crickets and any other insects eaten in several parts of the world). I can take spicy food though and never had any problem with that.

I grew up eating more fish than meat anyway, but I never liked eating vegetable until I went to college. That’s because I grew in a family who believes not pushing young kids to eat vegetables if they don’t like it because when they reach a certain age, they will eventually like eating vegetables anyway.

That explains why I never cared about vegetables in my younger years. And then one day in college, I suddenly am eating vegetables — like there was a switch turned on inside of me.

Though I have no problem eating pork and chicken, I have always been problematic at eating beef. Why? Because I am always repelled by the beef’s distinct strong smell, even when cooked with spices. I’ve tried eating beef once in my life, but hives broke out of me (in the face, arms and hands). I had to be put out by a strong anti-histamine. The next day, my face was still swollen. Since then ,I never dared eating beef again.

Just recently, I am having the same repulsion with pork and chicken. Not because of the smell but sometimes both have unpleasant after tastes, according to my sense of taste at least!

I don’t know…I can’t help my palate and my sense of smell, right?

BUT then, all these, I have accepted as a blessing in disguise. Because at this time and age, we should have been eating healthy already for a long, long time.

Because of the above situations, I have now resolved to do the following:

• eat more and more fresh fruits
• eat more vegetables over chicken and pork
• fish, fish and fish over chicken and pork
• fish, fruits and vegetables over processed meats
• go to the beach more often
• regular walks in the morning before working in front of my PC

While I have no problem sticking to the first 5, the last one may be difficult. You see I am still not a morning person. So how can I enjoy the early morning sun when I cannot be up before 9 am? Sigh.

But then, I have always told myself that anything can be mind over matter. If I was able to quit smoking in 2007, nothing is impossible this 2008, right?